


Diurnal

by MisterEAnon



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Friends-with-benefits, Transformation, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 20:00:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9088093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisterEAnon/pseuds/MisterEAnon
Summary: A young bunny realizes that she wants to be more than friends-with-benefits with her not-quite-boyfriend.
Things get complicated before she gets the chance.





	1. Chapter 1

I'd never given much thought to how I would die — though I'd had reason enough in the last few months — but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.

 

The newly transformed predator before me was snarling, his limbs tensed against the ground on all fours. He looked dangerous. Feral. Like he could tear my throat out without breaking a sweat.

 

This wasn't really how I'd pictured my date ending tonight.

 

* * *

 

 

About three things, I was absolutely positive. First, Caleb was one of the sweetest guys I'd ever met. Secondly, he was mysterious as all hell, even months after we'd met for the first time. And third, I had finally come to the realization that I totally had a thing for this guy.

 

I hadn't expected him to be so… Genuine. We met in a nightclub, we shared a few drinks, we had a hot and sweaty one night stand. I expected that I'd never see him again, especially since he was unnaturally generic-looking.

 

One week later, he showed up again, recognized me, and bought me a drink. I hadn't really thought anything of it— He showed up at the same nightclub to have some fun, and so had I. I remembered he was nice to be around, and a fun lay in bed, so I let him talk me into another no-strings-attached one night stand.

 

And yet, he showed up the week after that as well. I might have thought he was stalking me or something, but when I initially declined his company just to see what would happen, he gave me an easy smile and obliged me, leaving me alone and mingling among the other residents of Bunnyburrow. He was lost in the crowd immediately, with no hope of finding him again.

 

I had a lot less fun that night.

 

The next time we met, I accepted his offer to hang out together, but very specifically mentioned that I wasn't down for sex that night. This rabbit was a mystery to me, and I wasn't really sure I wanted to keep sleeping with someone who was such a secret. He was fine with that, and even though I made it absolutely clear he could go get some tail from someone else, we ended up spending the night together, joking and sharing stories.

 

The last thing he said to me before he left that night was that he agreed he could have gone looking for someone to sleep with him, the same way we'd met… But he didn't come here for the no-strings-attached sex.

 

He came here for the company.

 

Weeks turned into months. We became friends— Technically friends with benefits, but it was slowly becoming more apparent that he'd only try to _seriously_ hit on me when I was already in the mood. The weird thing was, even as we slept together less than ever before, I started to look forward to that one night a week that he would show up in my life, before vanishing just as easily.

 

And even with the fact I had known him for months, I still knew barely anything about him. I didn't know why he always picked Wednesday to show up, or why I only ever met him in this one club at this one very specific time of night, or how he managed to be such an indistinct _idea_ of a rabbit that I couldn't even hope to find him in a crowd. To this day, I had to pick my favorite booth, and wait for him to find _me._

 

The last time we met, seeing his smile, hearing his laughter, and knowing he was just doing his best to make me happy because he liked me, I realized something as he vanished into the night the way he had done so many times before.

 

I liked him, too. But I _liked_ him a lot more than I think he liked me. And I had no idea how was I going to mention that to him the next time I saw him.

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

I always hit the club this time of night. I knew he only showed up one night a week, but I'd been going here long before he came into my life, and I wasn't going to stop just because he didn't feel like showing up most of the time.

 

Tonight was one of those nights he did show up, though, and I knew it was a date.

 

I wasn't really dressed for a date— Short shorts, a t-shirt that showed off the toned midriff I'd earned from all the gyrations a nightclub could inspire, the works. And yet, I had realized it was kind of a date anyway.

 

He'd never said anything, never expressed any desire to be more than just friends with benefits with me, but if a guy was going to show up, buy me food, and try to make me laugh, I figured it was probably close enough to qualify.

 

I could tell right away that this night would be different, though. For once, he didn't find me— I found him, sitting at the bar and ordering drinks.

 

I wasn't sure they were for us, though. Sitting next to him was some tramp dressed a lot less decently then me, if I could even _call_ her properly dressed, looking like she had even less shame then clothes. Even with the noise of countless conversations, music, and the dim light, I could tell from the way she was practically draping herself over him that sex was on the table.

 

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to feel. I was still trying to deal with the fact that I liked him more than just a fuck-buddy, and if I could even find a way to express how I felt with him. I felt like he deserved to know the truth— In the past, he would pointedly refuse to answer some questions, but he always shared just about every personal anecdote about himself I cared to ask, even if he wouldn't tell me where he came from, or why he always left before I did.

 

Now, I was wondering if I'd lose him to some random harlot before I could ask him out, just because I was too blind to see what was in front of me for so long. I felt just the briefest flicker of regret for insisting that we could sleep with anyone we wanted, since we were just friends, but I stamped out the emotion as fast as I could and started my journey across the room.

 

It was a slow journey across the dance floor, and I almost figured I was too late. But I managed to get in hearing range before I got close, and I angled my bunny ears up as high as they would go. I just barely managed to catch the last of their conversion:

 

“—Thanks, but no,” he murmured with his usual warm, charismatic tone. “It's not you— Believe me, anyone can see you're beautiful— But I'm afraid I've got my heart set on spending my night with one woman in particular.”

 

It was only a few seconds more before she got up and left, doubtlessly on the hunt for a new quarry. After all, that's what people did when they went out just to get laid. “Talking about me behind my back? I'm hurt,” I told him as I stole the still-warm seat next to him.

 

He put on an affronted look, holding a paw to his chest. “Why, my dear lady Eleanor, I would never stoop to such depths of depravity—“

  
I bumped his shoulder with mine, shaking my head even as I smirked. “You're being a goober,” I informed him cheerfully. “Besides, I told you to call me Ella.”

 

“You like it,” he accused me, not even bother to deny his current state of gooberhood. “And I told _you_ that Eleanor is a beautiful name.”

 

I shrugged. “Yeah, but it's not, like… _me._ It sounds all refined, not like the kind of girl who goes clubbing and fucks guys she's never met before,” I replied, thinking back to how we met. I shook my head to clear it, noticing that there were still two drinks in front of us. “I think your new gal-pal left her drink here.”

 

He shook his head. “No, I ordered them for us. I kind of wanted to do something different tonight, so I wanted to get the drinks first.”

 

I felt my eyebrows raise by themselves. “The mystery man has a mystery plan, huh?” I mused, reaching forward and picking up the drink in front of me. “I'm telling you right now, if you put roofies in here, I'm out.”

 

He chuckled. “Of course not. Besides, even if I had them, it would probably be more fun to use them in bed, instead.”

 

I thought about that— Drugged and dazed, helpless with no choice other then submission as he played with my mind and body at the same time.

 

I blushed furiously, shaking my head. God, I was really glad he wasn't that kind of mammal AT ALL, or I might have actually been tempted. “ **Anyway** , you had a plan?”

 

* * *

 

 

 

Caleb was right— This was nice.

 

I gazed up into the night sky, letting the occasional wind ruffle the grass surrounding us. Next to me, Caleb lied in a grass as well, gazing up at the moon with a contemplative expression.

 

I was pretty sure this was definitely a date by now, even if he hadn't caught on. I knew I should bring up my feelings with him, tell the truth, but I couldn't bear to ruin the moment. I would tell him as he was leaving, I decided— If he liked it, we could plan something special for next time.

 

And if he didn't like it, well… If he didn't really feel the same, at least I wouldn't have to face the awkwardness for the rest of the night.

 

He pointed a paw to the sky, and my ears swiveled in his direction. “The sky is so clear out here,” he spoke, his tone full of marvel. “I don't think I'll ever get used to it.”

 

I glanced at him. “It's best after dark. Which, incidentally, is the only time I ever seem to find you around,” I added wryly.

 

He tilted his head, looking at me without getting up. “I like the night. Without the dark, we'd never see the stars.”

 

I snorted. “You're a dork,” I accused him with a smile, slowly ruffling my paws through the grass idly as I spoke. “But, you're right. It does look nice— The moon's bright tonight,” I pointed out. It wasn't a full moon, but it was one of the phases that was close to it. I could easily see his face in the moonlight.

 

He grinned back at me. “Yeah… But if being a dork makes you smile, then it's worth it,” he retorted, letting his paw brush past mine. “And the moon's always bright when I'm in town,” he added with a wry tone.

 

I blushed, glancing away. “Yeah, well…” If he was going to be a dork… I plucked a blade of grass from the earth, leaning over to drape it across his nose as he stared up into the night sky. “Two can play at that game.”

 

Once we started, we didn't stop. We spent hours out there, making each other laugh and talking about how our lives had been in the past week, and I barely noticed we'd started holding paws until he sat up and stopped.

 

For something I barely noticed was happening, I was surprised at how vehemently opposed I was to the idea of it ending. We'd done nothing but just be _people_ together, musing over the unimportant things in our life, but somehow talking about it with _him_ made it seem so much more worth the time spent.

 

We were alone, too. Normally, there would be other bunnies around, but not a whole lot of bunnies wanted to be alone at night right now. Even out in the sticks, people were afraid that some predator would go savage and start tearing innocent rabbits apart. Even though any predators the burrows had were outnumbered ten thousand to one or something, nobody seemed to be letting their kids play outside at night.

 

It was just me and him, and that added a certain kind of intimacy to our not-a-date under the moonlight. I wasn't really afraid about being out here in the open, either: I could have said it was because it was a stupid fear, and it was, but…

 

I had a feeling that I wouldn't be afraid of a predator anyway, with Caleb by my side. I didn't know why, since he was just a bunny like me, but that's how he made me feel.

 

Before I knew it, hours had passed, and the moon as well on it's way to waning. Caleb seemed a little tense, for some reason, and he rolled onto his feet, standing up all the way. “I should go,” he murmured.

 

I couldn't let him leave— Not yet, anyway. “Wait,” I spoke up. “Before you go, we need to talk.”

 

He shook his head. “No, like… I _need_ to go,” he retorted, already starting to walk away. “I'm out of time.”

 

I frowned. He didn't usually just… Walk off on me when I was trying to talk to him. “Rude,” I called as I hopped after him, settling into a swift walk to match his pace. “What do you mean you're out of time?”

 

He gave a low sound of irritation. It almost sounded like a growl. “The moon— It's going down,” he answered, still walking. “You should leave.”

 

I glanced up. Yes, the moon was starting to wane. I didn't really see his point. “Yes, and—“  
  
He stopped walking abruptly, and I walked right into him. I stepped back, huffing. Before I could comment, though, he fell over in the grass, arms shooting out in front of him to brace his fall.

 

I walked around to his front. “Are you okay?” I asked, feeling a lot less sure. Sure, he was being kind of an ass out of nowhere, but now I was starting to worry that he was sick. “You need any help?”  
  
He shook his head vehemently. There it was again— That sound. He was definitely growling. “ **No** ,” he rumbled, without getting up. “You **need** to go— I… I'm about to change,” he stated, his tone breaking.

 

What the hell did _that_ mean? “Change? The only thing you're changing into is kind of a jerk running off when I'm trying to talk to you, but—“

 

“I'm serious,” he snapped. “I'm… Not going to be 'me' in a minute. You really, seriously need to—“

 

“Well, I'm serious too,” I interrupted him. “You're acting weird, and I'm worried you're not okay. Look, I can take you home, and—”

 

He gave a loud groan, and something _**cracked**_. “Too late,” he bit out, sounding harried. “I'm sorry.”

 

I didn't even get a chance to think of a reply. He had been unsteadily supporting himself with his arms, still on the ground, but now his limbs failed him, and he fell face—first into the dirt. I stepped forward to help him, only to jerk back as the minute growl he'd given before was replaced with a _real_ growl.

 

He sounded like a predator. And even though I could barely conceive of what I was seeing, he was starting to look like one, too. Limbs twisted, fur lengthened and changed from light to black, and sharp canines grew from his muzzle to match the coiled muscles now bulging in his neck as he grit his (much more fearsome) teeth.

 

I tried to back away, and promptly fell on my ass from not looking where I was going in the middle of uneven natural terrain. I cursed my clumsiness, scrabbling backwards from whatever the hell was going on in front of me.

 

Caleb had been right about one thing, though: It _was_ too late. The wolf in front to me pulled itself off the ground, shredded clothing falling off his sides. The only thing I could hear was the frantic pounding of my heart and the muted growls for breath the creature in front of me was making.

 

There was nothing around me but grass and earth. No place to run, no place to hide. I was helpless.

 

I'd never given much thought to how I would die — though I'd had reason enough in the last few months — but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.

 

The newly transformed predator before me was snarling as he found his footing, his limbs tensed against the ground on all fours. He looked dangerous— Feral. Like he could tear my throat out without breaking a sweat.

 

This wasn't really how I'd pictured my date ending tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

I had never given much thought to the Savage epidemic.

 

Surely, I thought, it would never affect me. All the attacks I had ever happened had been far away in Zootopia. Out here in Bunnyburrow, I thought I would be safe.

 

I thought I had been safe. But in front of me, Caleb was gone. All that was left in his place was a predator on all fours, staring at me with limbs tensed to pounce.

 

Then the low, long snarl rumbling from his throat and tension in his frame faded away, and he fell to the ground on his side, panting and groaning, sounding like he was in pain.

 

The fearsome predator twice my size curled up in a ball in front of me and whined piteously, and I was left deeply confused as he tried to struggle to his feet, only to find himself falling back to the earth with a dull, heavy thud.

 

I still had no idea what was going on, but it was starting to become apparent I wasn't in any danger here. I very, very carefully stepped forward, ready to bolt away at the slightest aggressive movement. “Caleb?” I questioned. “Is… Is that you?”

 

He visibly tensed, slowly uncurling enough to peek out at me over his shoulder. “Ella. I— I thought you left,” he murmured, his tone strangely hoarse.

 

I barely recognized his voice. Caleb had always sounded smooth, confident. But the wolf in front of me sounded anything but, hesitant and nervous. But it _was_ the voice I had spent so many nights hanging out with, underneath it all.

 

But underneath the messy, ruffled dark gray fur, I knew the bunny I had fallen for was still there. “You know, when I said we needed to talk, that wasn't an invitation to bring even more things up for discussion,” I murmured softly as I bent down over him. “Are you okay?”

 

He gave a soft, clipped whine before managing to cut off the sound. “It hurts,” he admitted. “I've… Never held it back that long, before. I don't think I should do that again.” He slowly rolled over onto his back, wincing as he uncurled. He tried to sit up, but decided immediately after to just lie flat on his back.

 

If anything, that made me even more certain it was him. We'd spent hours together lying just like that on the soft grass, gazing up into the night sky.

 

He didn't give me a chance to reflect further. Almost immediately, he continued talking. “Why didn't you run?” he asked. “I told you to leave, but you stayed.”

 

I could still feel my heart beating faster than normal, but I took a deep breath. I was okay. He wasn't going savage. He was still the sweetheart and total dork that said stupid things to make me laugh. “I— I was going to run, I think. If you started to chase me,” I admitted. It was my instinct to bolt away from danger, and I don't think I could have repressed it if I tried. “But you didn't. You just kinda…” I gestured at the wolf who was still on the floor to illustrate my unsaid point.

 

I stepped a little closer, standing over him. “And besides,” I added, “I like you, Caleb, but I don't think I'll like anyone enough to let them order me around when they're being a jackass.”

 

He grimaced. Despite the fact he'd turned into a predator, and I had about as much experience with predators as the average country bumpkin in the Burrows, I think I knew him well enough to read his face. “Yeah, I guess I was being kind of rude,” he murmured as he sat up. This time, he didn't fall back down again, and he rubbed at his eyes with his paws.

 

“I told you we needed to talk, and your response was to walk out in the middle of the conversation while telling me to fuck off without giving me a straight answer,” I stated bluntly. “You were kind of being a total bag of dicks, yeah.”

 

He gave a rough chuckle. “Yeah. I, uh— I can only transform with the moon up. With it going down, I was struggling to hold on, and it was hurting from inside.” He glanced down at his body, easily twice as big as it was before. “I was trying to hold a lot in.”

 

Yeah, I could see that. I plopped down onto the grass next to him. “So, just to be clear, you're not a werewolf or something.” That mythology was probably pretty speciest, the idea that someone would have to turn into a predator to be a horrible monster, but it was an ancient tale.

 

Actually, the fact that it was so old was probably why it was really, really speciest in retrospect.

 

He shook his head. “Nope.”

 

Well, okay then. I mean, every scary story I'd ever heard about them meant Caleb would be carnally lusting for my flesh in a different way than our usual friends-with-benefits routine by now, so I had pretty much already figured that was the case.

 

“And you're not going savage,” I continued, raising an eyebrow.

 

He stretched his arms and legs, experimentally curling his claws before getting to his feet. “Also nope. Did it look like I was?”

 

“You were a predator who was snarling and tensing up like you were about to jump on me and tear me limb from limb. So, basically, yes. Yes you did.”

 

He had the good grace to look sheepish. “Sorry. I was in a LOT of pain right then. I wasn't really thinking clearly, but it's better now.” He regarded me with amazement, obvious wonder in his eyes. It took me a moment to comprehend what he was probably thinking.

 

“You’re still waiting for the running and the screaming, aren’t you?” I asked, putting a paw on my hip. “Now that you don't look like you want to eat me, I think I'll hold off on that. I get enough exercise dancing, anyway.”

 

He gave a low huff, rubbing at the back of his neck with a paw. “Better than I'd feared, worse than I'd hoped,” he murmured. Before I could ask what he meant by that, he sat back down in the grass, leaving far more of an impression in it with the weight of his new form. “I guess I owe you the truth, at least.”

 

I sat down next to him. “Yeah, you really do. Now's a good time to prove that you didn't turn into a jerk as well as a wolf, because your track record isn't the greatest tonight,” I pointed out dryly. After a moment of thought, I laid my paw on his.

 

It was warm. Almost hot, actually— though maybe a body that big just made more heat. I had never been close to a predator before, and certainly not one this big.

 

I wasn't afraid of Caleb anymore, but I couldn't deny he was fascinating.

 

He gazed up into the sky. The moon had fallen all the way, but the sun hadn't quite come up yet. It was the time between the daylight and the darkness.

 

I couldn't quite remember what that time was called, though I was sure one of the farmer rabbits would have known.

 

“So,” he spoke up, catching my attention. “I’m a wolf. But I'm also a wererabbit, and I can transform under the moon—“

 

“Hold up,” I interrupted. “A were **rabbit**. Like, a werewolf, but with bunnies.”

 

“Yeah. It's… pretty much what you think,” he agreed.

 

Stories about savage, uncontrollable predators suddenly appearing among the middle of unsuspecting prey, I could understand. But someone turning into a rabbit at night didn't sound like any myth or story I'd ever heard of. “Okay…” I said slowly, not really sure how I felt about this turn of events. “Go on.”

 

“Okay. So, under the moon, I can transform. It's easiest in the middle of the week, for some reason, so that's when I go out. Under the full moon, though, it's different. I go wild.”

 

That sounded at least a little more dignified, somehow. “Like, dangerous wild?”

 

This time, he shook his head. “No, like… Feral wild. Before-society wild.” He made a face. “It turns out bunnies were stupid back then. Before I made myself a safe-room to stay the night in, I'd wake up to find half the papers I had lying around chewed on, or having wandered off half a mile from home if I left the door open.”

 

I was starting to feel vaguely incredulous I had ever been afraid of this goof, even for a few heart-pounding seconds. “So, you're a wolf that turns into a rabbit at night to go to nightclubs,” I stated slowly, trying to make sure I got this right.

 

“Well… Yes?” He confirmed, looking at me and tilting his head.

 

“That is _the worst use of supernatural powers I've ever heard of,_ ” I told him, shaking my head. “Why _nightclubs_?”

 

He glanced away, staring at the ground. I was starting to wish I'd brought a mat or a picnic blanket or something, if we were going to sit in an empty field all morning. “I'm shy,” he murmured. “I… I can't really go out as a wolf. I feel too self-conscious, and I'm miserable. But as a rabbit…” He glanced up at me. “Well, it's like I get to be a new person. I can be anyone I want for the night, so it's easy to be confident when I don't have to be myself.”

 

That was a little sad. I never had any problems like that— my parents probably wanted me to become a farmer or something, spouting junk about how it was such a stable job that would give me a future with no questions asked, but… That just wasn't me. Going out, having fun, and meeting people to spend the night with that was me. Not tilling the dirt by myself in an empty field all day. “Is that working out for you?”

 

He gave me a smile— and a surprisingly genuine looking one, too. “Yeah, it has,” he replied, sounding happy about it. “After all, I met you that way.”

 

I found myself smiling back, automatically leaning into his side the way I always did when he said something stupid and lovable. “God, you're a dork,” I replied, before going still.

 

I hadn't really thought about what I was doing when I did it. But now I was cuddled up to a predator twice my size, and I still wasn't sure how I felt about it.

 

Fortunately, Caleb didn't seem to notice too much, wrapped up in his own obvious nervousness. “You like it,” he threw right back, and for once he didn't sound anxious. The nervous tone I was starting to attribute to the wolf was gone, and in its place was the familiar confidence of the rabbit I'd fallen for. It was a dichotomy in tone almost as his duality in form.

 

Back on track, though. “So, let me get this straight. You have one night a week where you can be a rabbit.” One nod. “One night a week where you can do anything you want without worrying.” Two nods. “So why would you spend those nights with _me?_ ” I questioned him, tentatively rubbing my paw along the disheveled, messy black fur I was cuddled up against.

 

I really had to know. If I could turn into someone else once a week, when absolutely nobody could trace me back to my real self, I would find something a hell of a lot more exciting to do then dancing.

 

I looked up, and to my surprise, he actually seemed a little flustered by the question. “I mean, I like you. I mean-” He took a deep breath. “It's too easy to be myself with you. Like, the real me, even though the rabbit. Being with you was the most free I've ever felt, from my own anxieties.” He shrugged, the motion lightly nudging me away. “I don't even understand it, but it's how I feel.”

 

I frowned, scooting away so I could better look up at him. “What do you mean, _was?_ ” I questioned. “I'm still here.”

 

He didn't meet my eyes. “You are,” he acknowledged, “But I know you won't want to hang out together anymore.”

 

Excuse me? “Would you care to repeat yourself?” I asked, raising a brow.

 

He shrugged helplessly. “I get it, I really do. You're a bunny, I'm really a wolf… I know you wouldn't want me now that you know I'm not **really** a rabbit like you.”

 

Excuse me, **what**. “Really. I don't recall ever giving you permissions to tell me how to feel,” I grumbled as I crossed my arms.

 

He looked at me, then, and I could tell he was paying close attention. Some part of me felt deeply uncomfortable, being scrutinized so intimately by a predator. “What?”

 

I took a moment to push aside my irrational emotions, and stood up. “I said,” I started, clearly enunciating my words, “That I'm not going to feel a certain way about you just because you expect it. You couldn't lose me if you tried, wolf-butt.” That was a complete and total lie, given how hard a time I had finding him in a crowd, but the phrase conveyed the emotions I was trying to get across anyway.

 

On reflection, turning into a rabbit would explain why he was the most generic 'a rabbit' I'd ever seen.

 

He just looked confused, now. I could tell, because he was doing the dog head-tilt thing more. “I mean- I'm not trying to tell you how to feel,” he was quick to stammer out, holding his paws up in surrender. “I just- I couldn't expect you to want that. Not with how- How we're going savage. I couldn't do that to you,” he murmured.

 

Oh, he wasn't trying to be a controlling jerk-off after all. He just had no self-esteem and was afraid of hurting me. And… I could understand his concern. I'd seen the news reports, everyone had. The attacks. The fear.

 

It was with that fear in mind that I asked a very serious question. “If I rub your belly, will you thump your leg?”

 

He glared at me. “I'm being serious,” he grumbled unhappily.

 

I shrugged. “So am I. If you wiggle around like a puppy when I rub you right, then I don't think I could ever be afraid of you no matter what the newspapers say.”

 

He glanced away. “I- No. I don't… Thump,” he announced with a tone that suggested he was _absolutely_ lying.

 

“Oh yeah?” I challenged. “And what if I do… This?” I leaned forward, putting my paws on his belly. He jerked under my touch, whining and pushing me away.

 

“Nhf- Nooo, don't do that,” he whined softly. “I'm- I'm sensitive there.”

 

“ _Good_ ,” I retorted triumphantly. In a flash, I was on him, hopping forward and bringing my paws in at an angle from the side, slipping under his own defensively-held paws. He started to wheeze with laughter as I tickled at his fur, falling onto his back and wiggling energetically in the grass.

 

I pounced, and rubbed his belly like he was a good boy, and he absolutely started to thump his leg in the grass while cackling with unstoppable laughter.

 

Eventually, I relented. I was mounted on top of him for maximum belly-rub potential, but now I turned around to face him. I had to admit, he was a pretty soft seat. “Are you gonna admit you like having your belly rubbed now?” I asked sweetly, with both of us knowing I had ways of making him talk.

 

“Fine! Fine,” he wheezed, out of breath. His leg was still twitching behind me. “I… Like having my belly rubbed.”

 

“Good boy,” I praised him. That wasn't so hard. “You're just a huge puppy. And I'm not going to be afraid of you. I don't care what anyone says.”

 

He huffed for breath. “So… We can still be friends?” he asked, sounding hopeful.

 

I rolled my eyes. “Of course we can, you—“I started to answer, before pausing. I had almost forgotten the only reason all of this started was because I followed him, and I followed him because I needed to tell him what I wanted out of our relationship.

 

I took a deep breath. “Do you… Want to be more than just friends?” I asked, glancing away. One of my ears drooped down, and I absently curled it around my paw, an old habit of mine.

 

He stared up at me. “You… You would want to date me? Even as a wolf?”

 

Did I? I had made up my mind when he was just a rabbit, albeit a persistently mysterious one. But now… Did I want him, in a body I was unfamiliar with?

 

Was I shallow enough to give up on wanting to date someone just because of what body they were in?

 

“I don't know, I admitted, going still as I had an idea. “But I know how to check.”

 

Caleb furrowed his brow. “What do you—?”

 

I leaned in, and shut him up with a kiss, catching him with his mouth open. He stared at me with shock, and I let my eyes drift close as I wrapped my arms around his shaggy neck.

 

I had never really appreciated how big a wolf's tongue was. I didn't think I ever would have, if I didn't find one in my mouth, easily dominating the kiss as soon as he started to hesitantly reciprocate.

 

I pulled away, panting softly. A single bridge of saliva connected out muzzles when I broke the kiss, and I wiped it away with a blush.

 

He was breathing just as hard. “Wow,” was all he said. “Ella…” He started to talk, but looked like he couldn't find the words. He settled on something simpler. “ _Wow._ ”

 

I took a moment to contemplate, before nodding. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I can work with this,” I murmured, leaning down and kissing his nose.

 

Not everyone would agree with a bunny dating a wolf. I knew some members of my family were quite adamant on the fact that any prey who dared date a predator would be going straight to hell.

 

I didn't really care what Caleb was. It was who he was inside that mattered to me. “Will you go out with me?”

 

He nuzzled at my cheek. “I… Yes. I've wanted you for a while,” he admitted. “I just wasn't willing to ruin what we had, when I could only see you once a week.”

 

I nuzzled back, up against his neck. “You can see me more than once a week, now. No matter what you are,” I told him. I glanced up, noticing the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. “We should go home. The farmers will be out soon.”

 

He nodded, and leaned up. Immediately, I slid backwards into his lap, wiggling my bunny buns as I tried to move—

 

I blushed furiously, heat flaring up in my cheeks. From the way he tensed up, I was willing to bet he was blushing, too.

 

I had been technically aware he was naked, when his clothes burst off earlier from his transformation. Since he was so _fluffy_ with all that bedraggled fur, though, it hadn't quite filtered through into my conscious mind. Not until I could feel my ass pressed **right** up against the stiffness of his furred sheath, anyway.

 

I carefully stepped off of him, and stared down at his crotch for a few seconds. Then, I looked back up at him. “Is your dick gonna fit in me?”

 

He sputtered. “What?”

  
  
“I mean, if we're going to be dating… I have needs, Caleb.” I idly brushed a paw along it. It would be so easy to rile him, and make him TRULY indecent, but… No, not right now. But, there was one thing I was sure about:

 

I decided as long as I'm going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly. And I would be exploring my for-real boyfriend very _thoroughly_ the next time we had some privacy.

 

For now, though, I hopped across the ground and scooped up the remains of Caleb's shredded clothes. “Here,” I said, giving them to him. “It's not much, but there's probably something big enough to hold in front of your junk on the way home.”

 

“Thanks,” he muttered, rifling through the scraps of cloth to find something useful. He stiffened as I hopped up onto him, scaling him like a tree. I found my place on his shoulders, my legs dangling around his neck.

 

Thankfully, I still had my own clothes in perfect working order. I reached into my pocket, fishing out my phone. “Hey.”  
  
“Yeah?” He questioned, looking up at me. “What is it?”  
  
“I bet we'd have a lot more alone time if we spent the time at your place instead of mine, tonight.”

 

He stroked at my leg absently with one paw, holding his collected clothing in front of himself to make himself at least somewhat decent. “That… is probably true.”

 

“So let's do it,” I added, already texting my parents that I wouldn't be home tonight.

 

“Agreed. I wasn't gonna visit YOUR house naked,” he rumbled. “Wait, you're coming?”

 

“Mmmhm. So, hey, about tomorrow… Is it still called morning wood if you're nocturnal?”

 

He sputtered, and I knew it was going to be a very informative trip home.

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't identified what this is lightly parodying by now, I really can't help you.


End file.
